Related Services - Specific services, also called designated instructions and services, which are required to assist a student with a disability to benefit from special education or general education. Includes transportation, speech-language pathology, audiological services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, social work services, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes only. The term includes school health servies, social work services in schools and parent counseling and training.

Resource Specialist Program (RSP) - A program or service provided by a credentialed Resource Specialist teacher for students with disabilities.

School of Attendance - Refers to the school a student is attending which may or may not be in his or her area of residence.

School of residence - Refers to the school a studetn attends or would attend because of the lcoation of his or her residence in the schools attendance area.

Short-Term Objective - Included in the student's IEP as a means of measureing progress toward a goal. It includes a series of intermediate steps or training activities that will take the student from his or her current level of functioning to the accomplishment of annual goals.

Special Day Class (SDC) - A special education class, taught by a specially credentialed teacher, for students who benefit from enrollment in special education for a majority of the school day.

Special Education - The term "special education" means specially designed instruction at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a student with a disability.

Specific Learning Disability (SLD) - A specific learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. Eligibility for servcies requires that there is a severe discrepancy between intellecutal ability and achievement in one or more of the following academic areas: oral or written expression, listening or reading comprehension, basic reading skills, mathematics calculations and reasoning.

Surrogate Parent - A person who is appointed by the District to act as a childs "parent" in all matters related to special education. A surrogate is appointed when a child is a dependent or ward of the court, and the court has limited the rights of the parent/guardian to make educational decisions, or when a parent cannont be identified or located.

Transistion - The term refers to the passage from one program, setting or environmetn to another. In special education, it may include, passage from elementary to middle school programs, movement from a special day class setting to a general education setting, graduation from a high school program into a work environment or other significant changes for a student.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - Traumatic brain injury is an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical event resulting in total or partial functional disabilitiy or psychosocial impairment that adversely affects a student's educational performance. It may include open or cloased head injuries resulting in impairment in one or more areas such as cognition, speech judgement, problem solving, perceptual and motor abilities, sensory, psychosocial behavior, physical fucntions and infoformation processing.

Mental Retardation (MR) - Students with significanly below-average general intellecutal functioning, existing concurrently wth deficits n adaptive behavior.

Multihandicapped (MH) - Students who have a combination of two or more specific disabilties.

Nonpublic School (NPS) - Nonpublic, non-sectarian school placements may be provided to a student who is eligible for special education at no cost to the parents, when no appropriate public placement is available. The nonpublci schools included within this provision must be certified by the California Department of Education (CDE).

Occupational Therapy (OT) - A designated instruction and service (related service), that provides assistance in improving or restoring functions lost or injured through illness, accident, or deprivation.

Orthopedically Handicapped (OH) - Students with specific orthopedic or physical needs which adversely affect their educational participation or performance. This term includes but is not limited to, impairments caused by congenital anomaly (clubfoot, absence of limb, etc); impairments caused by disease (polimyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.); and other impairments from other causes (cerebral palsy, amputations and fractures or burns).

Other Health Impaired (OHI) Students may be considered other health impaired if they require special education services because of chronic or acute health conditions resulting in limited strength, vitality or alertness; due to chronic or acute health problems such as hearth condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sicle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia or diabetes, which adversely affect their education performance.

Parent - Includes the person(s) having legal custody such as natural parents, the custodial parent , legal guardian, or district-appointed surrogate parent of a student.

Physically Handicapped (PH) or Physically Disabled (PD) - Students with specific orthopedic or physical needs which adversely affect their educational participation or performance. This term includes but is not limited to: impairments caused by congenital anomaly (club foot, absence of limb, etc.); impairments caused by disease (poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.); and impairments from other causes (cerebral palsy, amputations and fractures or burns).

Physical Therapy (PT) - A designated instruction and service (related service), including services to provide treatment for posture stability, movement, positioning, gait training, etc.

Positive Behavior Support - Support that is specified in a behavior intervention plan that is developed by an IEP team to help a student with serious behavior problems change patterns of undesireable behaviors that interfere with learning. These supports are respectful of a students dignity, and are successful in promoting a students capabilities and opportunities. The support includes a reliance on data obtained from a functional analysis assessment.

Primary Language - The language spoken in the students home.

Reevaluation - A comprehensive assessment conducted every three years, or sooner if a parent or teacher requests, for each student receiving special education services.

Referral For Assessment - Any request for assessment, made by a parent, teacher or other service provider. Referrals for assessment should be in writing to avoid delay. Where an oral referral for assessment made, school staff must offer assistance to the individual making the referral to put it n writing.

English as a second language (ESL) - A program of instruction ofr speakers of other languages to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English.

English Language Learners (ELL) - Limited English proficient studetns acquiring English and speakers of non-mainstream language forms acquiring mainstream English.

Extended School Year (ESY) - Special Education services in excell of the regular academic year.

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) - The federal provision for special education and related services for students at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and iwthout charge to a parent, student or guardian.

Goals - Broad or general statements which descrbe what needs to be learned by the student.

hard of Hearing (HOH) - Impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, which adversely affects a students education performance but which is not included under the definition of deafness.

Individualized Education Program (IEP) - A written plan prepared at an IEP meeting that includes the students present level of educational performance, eligibility for special education, annual instructional goals and objecgtives, services to be provided, needed transition services, type of instructional setting and provisions for integration/mainstreaming in general education programs.

Individual Transition Plan (ITP) - The ITP must be developed for students beginning at age 14 (or younger, if appropriate), and updated annualy. It includes a statement of transition service needs of the student, related to the IEP, that focuses on the students course of study (such as participation in advanced placement courses or vocational programs). Beginning at age 16 (or younger, if appropriate), the ITP provides a statemetn of needed transition services for the child, including a statemetn of the interagency responsibilities or any needed linkages, as appropriate.

Informal Assessment - Procedures such as classroom observation, interviews, portfolios of student work, or teacher-made tests which have not usually been used with large groups of students and shich do not necessarily have a standard set of nstructions ofr thir use and interpretation.

Intersession - General education services in addition to the regular academic school year.

Language and Speech Services (LAS) A designated instruction and service (related service) for students who have articulation, voice, fluency or language disorders.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) - A requirement in both state and federal laws that to the maximum extent appropriate, a student with a disability should be educated int he general education setting, including access ot extracurricular activities, with nondisabled peers. Separate schooling and other removal from the general environmetn should occur only when the nature or severity of the disability prevents satisfactory education in general education classes even with the use of supplementary aids and services.

Limited English Proficient Student (LEP) - A student identified through a formal initial identification process as not having sufficient fluency in English to participate in a mainstream English classroom.

Assessment - The gathering of information about the student to determine his or her eligibilty for special education and service needs. It may include tests, observations, interviews, and review of school records or student work samples.

Assistive Technology - Any item, piece of equipment, product, or system, whether acquired commercial "off the shelf", modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of students with disabilities.

Autism (AUT) - A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before the age of three.

Behavior Intervention - Implementation of procedures for the elimination of maladaptive behaviors which are significantly interferring with the implementation of the student's IEP. A systematic implementation of procedures, identified in the IEP, that results in lasting positive changes in the individuals behavior. Acceptable interventions include positive behavioral support strategies that do not cause pain or trauma, and that which respect the students individual needs and dignity. Specific prohibited interventions are defined in the California Code of Regulations, Title 5 - Huges Bill.

Bilingual - The ability to speak two lanuages with native or near-native skills.

Community Based Instruction (CBI) - Instruction in the skills needed to function in community settings. Instruction takes place both in the community and in the classroom.

Deaf-Blind - Students with both hearing and vision disabilities.

Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH or HOH) - Students who have a measureable hearing loss, conductive or sensorineural, in either one or both ears, which limits the normal acquision of speech and language through the ear. Students with a hearing impairment may require an aural/oral or total communication approach.

Designated Instruction and Servces (DIS) - Specific services, also called related services, which are required to assist a student with a disability to benefit from special education or general education. Includes transportation, speech-language pathology, audiological services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, social work services, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, medical services for diagnostic or evalution purposes only. The term includes school health services, social work services in schools and parent counseling and training.

Developmental Delay - An observed difference between a persons development and behavior and the typical development and behavior expected of people of the same age.

Early Education - A program ot serve students between the ages 4.9 adn 7.9 with severe or nonsevere disabilities in special education classrooms.

Dual Placement/Enrollment - occurs when the IEP team determines that a student with a disabilitiy should be educated part-time in a non-public shcool (NPS) and part-time on a general education campus in general education classes, resource specialists programs, or special day classes..

Before a child is referred for specal education servcies, there are many general education resources that should be considered first. If you have questions about these general education resources, please dicusss them with staff at your child's school.

General educaton resources may include classroom modifications, accommodations, interventions, Student Success Team, categorical programs, etc.

There are 4 basic steps in the specal education process

1. Referral for Assessment - Parents or teachers can refer students to be assessed for special education services. f your child is referred, you will receive an Assessment Plan to review and sign if you consent to assessment. The Assessment Plan describes the purpose of the assessments, the types of assessments, and who the assessors will be.

2. Assessment - Assessment involves gathering information about yoru child. It could include tests, observations, interviews, work samples, and/or school records. The results of these assessments will be used to help determine if your child needs special education services. If you disagree with the school's assessmetn of your child, you may provide an independent educational evaluation (outside expert's report) to the IEP team.

3. Development and Implementation of the IEP

4. IEP Review

Initial IEP - The first IEP meeting is held to determine if your child needs special education services and what those servcies should be.

Annual review of the IEP - An annual IEP meeting is held to review the progress of your child each year.

Three-year review of the IEP - A more thorough review of your childs progress occurs every three years.

Once your child has an active IEP, you may request an IEP meeting at anyime. The meeting is to be held within 30 days of your written request.

50 days - After you sign the special education Assessment Plan allowing assessmetn of your child, an IEP meeting must be held within 50 calendar days from the date of the District receives your signed consent (school breaks lasting five or more days are not included in the 50 days.)

30 days - If your child already has an IEP and is not making satisfactory process, or for any other reason, you or a school staff member may request an IEP meeting before the regularly scheduled review date. The meeting must be held within 30 calendar days (excluding school breaks over five days) of the receipt of the request.

The notification from contains information about the following:

Examples and brief descriptions of these services are:

The IEP will include a statement regarding any necessary modifications or supports that your child will be given to be involved in the general curriculum. Your childs IEP must also include an explanation of how often your child will not participate in the general curriculum.